Belonging to the Year of the Dragon, Wang Hsin-tu has been engaged in the art of underglaze red for more than 30 years. When he was 20, he enrolled in the Department of Arts and Crafts, National Junior College of the Arts, determined to challenge the mission of reviving the extinct art of underglaze red. From information he gathered elsewhere, he came to realize the historical drawbacks of making underglaze read porcelain. Either the glaze was too thick, which resulted in dripping; or too thin, so that the drawing faded after firing; most pieces turned brown or black after firing. Hardly anybody experienced the supreme beauty of underglaze red. In the past 800 years, underglaze red seemed to be a veiled and mysterious beautiful woman; few caught a glimpse of her true face. Not knowing its secret, people chose to ignore the art. In addition, artists comforted themselves with the saying, “It is difficult to control the tincture, and underglaze red can be achieved only once in a while.” Even if they were successful in firing underglaze red porcelain, they did not believe it was the result of their artisanship, and instead, they thought it was heaven's blessing.

In order to unveil the secrecy of underglaze red, Mr. Wang spent each day working as if it were two days. Deeply attracted to his work, he neglected food and sleep – working round the clock. The old sayings, “Candlelight at midnight and the cock tells the time at dawn” and “Have no regrets for sacrificing your health for success” were the best words to describe his dedication. From 1981 to 1982, he won the “blue and white porcelain” and “underglaze red” awards in the National Craft Exhibition sponsored by Provincial Taiwan Craft Research Institute. By that time, he knew that he had found the right way. Reviving the craft of underglaze red in his hands, he felt more and more confidence in his research. After two years of preparation, in 1985 his work “Underglaze Red Monk's Cap” was collected by the Belgium Museum . Such authoritative assurance from an international institution gave Hsin-tu endless encouragement. In addition, he felt surprised and rejoiced with this honor. He felt happy because he had discovered the way to make underglaze red porcelain successfully. He felt surprised because he unveiled the truth of underglaze red in this century. In 1986 and 1987, he held two solo exhibitions in Kobe , Japan , where his underglaze red porcelains surprised the Japanese. Amazed by these marvelous works, the audience lingered around in the exhibition hall just to see these works repeatedly. Returning from Japan in 1988 until now (2008), he partakes in solo exhibitions and publishes new books every one to two years to present the fruits of his research. In 1988, Professor Yang Ying-feng took his “Underglaze Red Three Fishes Cup” to Beijing , and showed it to the calligrapher Mr. Chao Pu-chu in Mainland China . Mr. Chao was greatly amazed. He even mistook it to be the antique made in Jingdezhen , Jiangsi. Later, historians in Beijing University verified it to be authentic underglaze red porcelain. At that time, nobody could fire any underglaze red porcelain successfully. Returning from Mainland China , Mr. Tan Dan-jiong, the Deputy Director of National Palace Museum , praised Wang highly. Hsin-tu encouraged himself with the old Chinese saying: “Eating sugar cane becomes sweeter and sweeter.”

In order to become the inheritor of underglaze red, his only friends are clay, glaze, and kiln; and his love is porcelain. From time to time, it requires a huge effort to cultivate a work. In order to keep fit and train the strength of his arms, he never smokes, never drinks, and has no nightlife. He lives a regular life and even works out everyday regularly in the gym. By staying in the best physical and mental conditions, he can have the spirit and strength to challenge the difficulties awaiting him tomorrow. He always says, heaven chose him, and he has chosen underglaze red. It is his determination to inherit the craft of underglaze red porcelain and develop it further by demonstrating the beauty of underglaze red in front of everybody.

Mr. Wang is an artist with a strong sense of duty and mission. He has been working ceaselessly for about 30 years. Because of his endeavor, he not only grasps the features of underglaze red but also breaks through the techniques of the artisans in the past. Meanwhile, he even adds green, yellow, and gold into the coloring. Using the basic colors as red, blue, and gold widely, he fires underglaze porcelain in various colors. No underglaze red porcelain crafts in the past 5000 years is comparable to his. With the bas-relief effect of “fa-hua” he has broadened the dimensions of underglaze red porcelain by broadening the horizon and enriching the contents. Likewise, his crafts are more sublime and elevated. Moreover, it is very difficult to grasp the technique of blending multi-color and fa-hua together in making underglaze red porcelain. Unavailable in any antique shops, even modern artisans cannot fire any authentic underglaze multicolor porcelain. Obviously, his works are not an imitation but an artistic creation made on the basis of tradition, pushing the art of “china” into a higher and more refined realm